Venture

The Good
If you like medieval-themed and future-themed adventures, this game has them all. There’s plenty of room for exploration and combat. The gameplay is fairly simple, even if the layouts of the levels get complex. As you go deeper into the Makalu scenario, you’ll find a few Lord of the Rings and Monty Python references. The puzzles to solve make both treasure hunting and reaching an end destination satisfying. Inspired players will love the tools that allow you to create custom adventures, being relatively easy to use.

The Bad
While the novelty of the game’s setup and the ability to make your own adventures is present, there is a fatal flaw that makes the Makalu adventure unwinnable. That fatal flaw is that you can’t use Miscellaneous items as weapons. That means there is no solution to kill and get past the carnivorous plant to get the final treasure. And even if you do get all the treasures, dropping them does not deduct your carrying capacity so you can’t drop all the treasures in the first room no matter how hard you try. If only the author had thought to fully play test the game before releasing it.

The Bottom Line
If you didn’t think old Windows 3.x titles could entertain you, this one might change your mind. While it may not have the RPG mechanics of a D&D game, the brain training from adventuring and the creativity to make custom adventures is apparent. Sadly the likeliness of finding a registered copy of the game may never arise. Make the most of this one and seek out other quality titles in the obscure shareware libraries.